Video Transcript: Fences Improve Pastures & Habitat in Oregon

Conservation... Our Purpose. Our Passion.

Updated 07/31/2008

INTRO: A partnership between an Oregon farm family and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is yielding better wildlife habitat and rangeland. The USDA's Bob Ellison has more. (1:47)

MORE FENCING HAS MEANT MORE FISH AND WILDLIFE HABITAT FOR THE WAHL FAMILY ON THEIR COASTAL OREGON RANCHLAND. PARTNERING WITH THE NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERAVATION SERVICE OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, THE WAHLS HAVE SEEN GREAT RESULTS.

Terry Wahl, Curry County Oregon Rancher: The fenced out areas are no livestock, they've been fenced out and it's really, it's helped in a lot of ways. We've been able to concentrate our fertilization program and the animals on a smaller area and every time we fence this ranch down we've been able to up our numbers. I think we've, by fencing out these areas and making a wider riparian area it's healthier for the fish

TERRY WAHL SAYS HE FEELS AN OBLIGATION TO HELP FISH, MIGRATING BIRDS AND OTHER WILDLIFE ON THE RANCH. HE HAS MADE CULVERTS FISH-FRIENDLY, CREATED RIPARIAN AREAS, PUT UP BIRD HOUSES AND DONE MORE TO DEDICATE SOME LANDS TO WILDLIFE. AND ALL THAT HAS HELPED THE FAMILY RANCH OPERATION.

Terry Wahl: Basically we've had twenty five to thirty percent of this ranch taken out since we first got here and we're running probably three times the amount of sheep on it.

TOM PURVIS, DISTRICT CONSERVATIONIST WITH NRCS, SAYS THE WAHLS HAVE BEEN DOING IT RIGHT.

Tom Purvis, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service: I think they address every corner of the property. Some of the areas are best used for timber production and healthy forests, other areas are marginal for agriculture or ranching so those areas are best used for wildlife and then they have the main areas as the working part of the ranch that are managed for pasture and forage production

LEARN MORE ABOUT CONSERVATION PROGRAMS AT YOUR LOCAL USDA SERVICE CENTER OR AT NRCS DOT USDA DOT GOV. FOR THE U-S DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, I'M BOB ELLISON.